PURPOSE: to establish the creative Europe programme for the period 2021-2027.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: the Rome Declaration of 25 March 2017 as well as the European Council in December 2017 stated that education and culture are key to building inclusive and cohesive societies for all, and to sustaining European competitiveness. Culture and cultural expressions manifest themselves strongly in the daily life of the Union's citizens and can contribute to wellbeing, active citizenship, common values, social inclusion and the development of intercultural dialogues as well as of a free, pluralistic and diverse media environment.
The digital environment and global competition are creating new challenges for the European cultural and creative sectors. There is a highly fragmented market for cultural and creative works stemming from Europe's cultural and linguistic diversity.
At the same time, the transnational circulation of works remains limited. It is therefore important to stimulate the transnational circulation and co-production of works across borders and to develop more effective solutions to reach audiences across borders. In addition, market concentration is a growing concern.
Lastly, there is a growing phenomenon of disinformation. Content industries, in particular the news media sector, are at the core of the fight to maintain a culture of healthy democratic debate.
Building on the results of the 2014-2020 creative Europe programme, the Commission proposes an increase in the budget allocated to the programme in order to respond to the challenges of digitisation and globalisation by providing greater support to the European cultural and creative sectors.
CONTENT: the proposal for a Regulation - presented for a Union of 27 Member States - seeks to establish the creative Europe programme for the period 2021-2027, which will succeed the 2014-2020 creative Europe programme.
The objectives of the proposed new programme are:
- enhancing the economic, social and external dimension of European level cooperation to develop and promote European cultural diversity and Europe's cultural heritage and strengthening the competitiveness of the European cultural and creative sectors and reinforcing international cultural relations;
- promoting the competitiveness and scalability of the European audiovisual industry;
- promoting policy cooperation and innovative actions, including the promotion of a diverse and pluralistic media environment, media literacy and social inclusion.
The programme has three strands:
(1) MEDIA (audiovisual sector): the programme shall continue to support the production, distribution and promotion of European films, television programmes and video games. This strand shall:
- stimulate collaboration and innovation in the creation and production of European audiovisual works by encouraging European talent;
- improve film and online distribution and allow wider cross-border access for European audiovisual works, including through innovative business models (such as virtual reality);
- promote European audiovisual works and reach out to new audiences in Europe and beyond.
To address these priorities, support is provided for the creation, promotion and distribution of, and access to, European works with the potential of reaching out to wide audiences in Europe and beyond. The creation of structured partnerships and networks to strengthen the competitiveness of the European audiovisual sector should also be encouraged.
(2) CULTURE (cultural and creative sectors, except audiovisual): the programme shall support cooperation projects, networks and platforms to interconnect talented artists across Europe and assist cultural and creative operators in their efforts to reach audiences across Europe. This component shall also:
- increase cultural participation throughout Europe;
- promote social inclusion through culture and cultural heritage;
- strengthen European identity and values through cultural awareness;
- contribute to the Union's global strategy for international relations through cultural diplomacy.
Some existing special actions, such as the European Capital of Culture and the European Heritage Label shall be reinforced.
(3) CROSS SECTORIAL STRAND: this strand shall support cross sectoral activities extending to the whole audiovisual sector and to other cultural and creative sectors. It shall promote knowledge of the programme and support transferability of results. It would also encourage innovative approaches to the creation, distribution, promotion and access to content in all sectors of culture and creation.
The funds shall also be used to promote European cooperation in the field of cultural policy, with a view to fostering a free, diverse and pluralistic media environment and supporting quality journalism and media literacy.
Proposed budget: EUR 1.85 billion for the period 2021-2027, according to the following indicative breakdown:
- MEDIA strand: up to EUR 1.08 billion;
- CULTURE strand: up to EUR 609 million;
- CROSS SECTORIAL strand: up to EUR 160 million.